#482 Russ Meyer

Ol' Russ Meyer looks benign in this, his last Topps card. But in his heyday he had a reputation for being more than just slightly 'off the wall'. He had issues with anger and an inability to keep himself out of trouble. Not legal trouble but, well, 'baseball trouble'. I mean his nickname was the 'Mad Monk'... and he got it as a schoolboy so that should tell you a little about him.

Pitching in his hometown of Peru, Illinois Meyer attracted scouts and he signed with his 'close to home' club, the White Sox, in 1942. After a season in the minors he was called to military duty and ended up on a service baseball team. He collapsed on the mound during one outing and was diagnosed with a burst appendix. Complications kept him in the hospital for months and got him a medical discharge.

Returning to civilian ball Meyer signed with the Cubs (apparently the White Sox had not listed his absence correctly) and moved up through their chain as a starter/reliever and got a quick big league look in 1946. That was enough to earn him a spot on the club in 1947 and he spent two years in the North Side winning 10 games in '48 after being given a spot in the rotation.

He was sold to the Phils after that and he won 47 games in four years including a 17-9 year in 1949. He pitched briefly in two games in the 1950 Series against that Yankees. He took the loss in Game Three when, after entering a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the ninth, he got two quick outs before allowing three straight hits and the Yanks' winning run.

Meyer was involved in a complicated four team deal prior to the 1953 season and found himself in Brooklyn pitching for the Dodgers. His antics no doubt amused the fun loving Brooklyn fans. From his SABR bio:

[Robin] Roberts in his autobiography recalled an incident in 1953, after the Phillies traded Meyer to the Brooklyn Dodgers. Pitching against the Phillies in Connie Mack Stadium, Meyer walked Richie Ashburn with the bases loaded, forcing in the go-ahead run. Meyer charged off the mound to protest to umpire Augie Donatelli. Meyer’s language got him ejected by Donatelli. But he returned to the mound and just refused to leave until manager Charlie Dressen came out to get him. Finally Russ stomped off the mound. As he stomped off the mound he flipped the rosin bag into the air with disgust. The rosin bag flew 30 feet in the air and came down directly on Meyer’s head. White powder flew everywhere, and even Monk had to laugh a little, Roberts said.Monk wasn’t through, however. When he got to the dugout, Roberts said, he yelled at Donatelli and grabbed his crotch. Unfortunately, the game was the television Game of the Week, and a camera in the dugout caught the whole episode and displayed it to the nation. The network switchboard lit up like a Christmas tree. For about the next ten years baseball had a “Meyer” Rule that forbade cameras in the dugout. And Meyer was fined and suspended for three days, one of at least three suspensions he received during his career.

With the Bums Meyer went 26-11 over his first two seasons but his other numbers don't look as impressive and the strong Brooklyn teams helped that win total. He won and lost World Series' with Brooklyn. In the '55 series he entered Game Five with the bases loaded in the third and promptly gave up a grand slam to Mickey Mantle.

Fresh off the '55 Series win he was traded to the Cubs and spent the next few seasons bouncing around the majors with three teams and had a minor league stint before leaving the game and not pitching in 1958. Meyer returned to pitch for the A's in 1959 and he is airbrushed into their cap for this card. He was released in July of that year after 18 appearances.

He went on to coach for the Yankees in their minor league system and for a season as bench coach. He retired in 1992 to operate a bowling alley.

His N. Y. Times obit (he died in 1997) contains this interesting tidbit:

In June 1981, Meyer returned to Brooklyn with his former teammates Carl Erskine and Sandy Amoros to promote a quest to bring the Dodgers back from Los Angeles. But in renewing old times, he lost his treasured rewards from his Dodger days: He was held up at gunpoint and had his 1953 and 1955 Dodger World Series rings stolen. At least it did not happen in Brooklyn -- the scene of the crime was Lexington Avenue and East 25th Street.

Meyer's SABR bio is, as you might expect, an interesting read.

Dodger history fans might enjoy this photo archive site I stumbled across while looking for Meyer facts. Here is one photo and the text that accompanies it:

Close-up of manager and pitcher conferring, apparently on pitcher's mound, with manager pointing finger at pitcher's chest. Caption on verso: "Temper, Temper: Russ Meyer, left, newest Dodger and explosive right-handed pitcher, gets the word to straighten up and fly right from manager Charley Dresses at Vero Beach (Fla.), training camp."

#486 Sammy White

Sammy White made a big jump in 1952. He had been signed out of the PCL, spent three seasons in the Red Sox' system and had a four game taste of the majors when he was handed the starting catcher's job in Boston after having spent the previous season in Class A ball.

And White made the most of it. In 115 games he hit ten homers, drove in 49 runs and hit .281, just a few points below the best average of his career. To top it off he finished third in the Rookie of the Year balloting finishing just a tick behind Philadelphia's 15 game winning hurler Harry Byrd and fellow catcher Clint Courtney of the Browns.

For an encore White made the 1953 AL All Star squad. Too bad that Casey Stengel kept him on the bench as Yogi Berra caught the whole game. White never again made it back to the ASG. But he did have a productive career as the Sox full time catcher for eight seasons through 1959 and earning a reputation as a good defensive player. He led all AL catchers in assists from 1953 through 1956.

He hit for some power and even stole a base every now and then. Coming off the '59 campaign in which he hit a career high .284 the Sox, apparently deciding to 'sell high' at that point traded White to the Indians. White, with a new bowling alley venture to run, decided to retire rather than report to the Indians. He sat out the entire 1960 season and the deal was voided.

In June of 1961 the Braves talked White into playing and purchased his contract from the Red Sox. Milwaukee was looking to fill the spot opened by an injury to Del Crandall and he spent the rest of that year backing up rookie Joe Torre. As a side note the Braves paid White $35,000 for that half year of back-up duty which was the most money he had ever made in baseball.

Released after that season White hooked on with the Phils for 1962 and then retired for good to run his business. His SABR page has many details of Sammy White's colorful career including his attempt to field an off-season basketball squad of Sox players that led to a mini-holdout (he had been a basketball star at the University of Washington). And it mentions the conflicting advice he got from every side on how to improve his hitting by changing his stance. He heard from two extremes, Ted Williams and Sox owner Tom Yawkey!

The article out of a Eugene paper in 1953 discusses the young catcher and has glowing quotes fro notables such as Bill Dickey and Berra. Sammy White died in 1991 in Hawaii where he had been living after retiring from his business ventures.

#451 Jimmy Constable

NOTE: I'm now down to less than twenty cards to post in this set which I've come to love so much. After Mr. Constable here I have another pink card, a black framed one, one last All Star card and a superstar Hall of Famer among those remaining. I will be checking to make sure that I haven't missed one but if not I should be wrapped up by Opening Day. 

It took Jim "Sheriff" Constable five and a half years to make it to the majors after signing with the New York Giants in 1951. He was a minor league workhorse as a starter in the Giants chain winning as many as 19 games in a year. He got a call by the Giants in mid-season of 1956 and was knocked around in two of three appearances and returned to the minors.

The Tennessee native was again with the Giants in August of 1957 with better results. He split a pair of decisions and had a 2.87 ERA in 28 innings out of the bullpen. During the 1958 campaign he was waived by the Giants in June, was picked up by the Indians who waived him in July when he was signed by the Senators.

It was following that 1958 season while pitching winter ball in Cuba that Constable suffered what is described as a 'mental breakdown' that eventually caused him to be out of the game for three years. His Baseball Reference Bullpen page quotes him in Steve Bitker's book The Original San Francisco Giants:

Constable said, "My father was manic depressive. It is inherited. It was through the heavy stress I was under in Cuba after the whole year I had, being with three different teams, then down there with Castro taking over and people disappearing, I had quite a breakdown."

After his layoff and recovery Constable was signed by the Braves in 1962. After pitching for their AAA club in Toronto (his other numbers are better than his 9-14 record) he was given a shot in September to return to the majors. He was given a start for the Braves against the Pirates on September 22 and rewarded the team with a five hit complete game shutout.

That wasn't good enough for the Braves to keep him around though and he was waived and claimed by his original team, the now-San Francisco Giants, who used him mostly in the minors for two years. He got a few innings with the Giants in 1963 but was out of baseball for good after that.

Upon retiring Constable returned to East Tennessee, and he worked as a control analyst at Magnavox for 15 years. He then returned to college for an education degree and taught in the the Washington County, Tennessee schools. Second consecutive featured player who turned to teaching after baseball. 

Jim Constable died in 2002. A few weeks later the local paper had a feature on him. They sort of skirt the metal illness issues he suffered by referring to 'health problems' and his 'nervous condition'. He is pictured here posing in Yankee Stadium and framed in pink. Based on his timeline he was out of baseball when this card was issued. His next (and only other Topps card) came out in 1963 when he had returned.  

Here is the '63:

And I found this signed postcard for sale on eBay. He looks like a kid, doesn't he? 

#454 Phil Clark

Pitcher Phil Clark was fortunate enough to get to play in his hometown of Albany, Georgia after being signed by The St. Louis Cardinals in 1951. He was a starter then and put together an 18-7 season with a sub-3.00 ERA. Then Uncle Sam came calling and Clark served for two years.

Returning in 1954 he climbed the Cards' ladder while switching to a bullpen job. He had some impressive years in the high minors and earned a spot on the Cards' staff in 1958. To paraphrase Frank Sinatra Clark was 'riding high in April' (no earned runs and a save in four games) but he was 'shot down in May' (six hits and three earned runs in an inning and a third over three games).

Back in the minors Clark was solid for the rest of that season and got another early shot with the Cardinals in '59 but was rocked pretty hard and farmed out once again. He pitched two final minor league seasons in the Dodgers' chain and then retired to get a degree in education at the University of Georgia and become a high school teacher back in Albany. He spent thirty years in the classroom, good for him.

Phil Clark had a role of author/ballplayer Jim Brosnan's 1961 book The Long Season. Clark and Brosnan were friends yet the contrast between the two makes for good reading: Brosnan was the cerebral, established major leaguer while Clark was a fringe player worried about he ability to stick in the big leagues. It's a 'must read' for those with a 'baseball book habit'.

There isn't much on Phil Clark to be found on the 'net. I did discover his name on the 1950 Georgia High School football all star game roster.

This card features a spring training shot and the pose is very similar to that on his only other Topps card, the '58. Except that Clark is grinning on the '58.

#473 Mike Fornieles

Mike Fornieles (full name: Jose Miguel Fornieles Torres) is another in a long line of native Cubans that were signed by Senators scout Joe Cambria over the course of several decades as he worked for owner Clark Griffith. Fornieles came to the U.S. after signing in 1950 and began his career as a righthanded starter in Big Spring, Texas.

Having been through Big Spring it's hard to imagine being a 19-year-old from Cuba and finding yourself in the middle of west central Texas at the beginning of the 1950s. But a look at the 1951 Big Springs Broncs' roster would lead you to believe that Fornieles had plenty of countrymen around to keep him from getting lonely. And his 17-6 season would tend to back up that theory.

After another standout campaign in 1952 (with the Nats' Havana affiliate) Forneiles got a late season call-up and he debuted in Washington on September 2. In that first game he pitched and won a one hit shutout of the Philadelphia A's. He fanned four and worked around six walks for the victory. A week later he got another start and took a loss but pitched decently enough to get a couple more looks as a reliever. In his final appearance he went eight innings in relief of Julio Moreno and allowed only three hits as the Nats rallied to get him the win.

That winter he was traded to the White Sox for Chuck Stobbs as Washington tried to pick up some left handed pitching help. He spent the next four seasons as a spot starter and reliever for the Sox and Orioles who traded him to the Red Sox in 1957. He had six seasons in Boston and in 1960, by now a full time reliever, Fornieles won 10 games and led the AL in appearances and saves.

In '61 he made his only All Star squad and was called on in the first of two ASGs that year. He allowed a homer to George Altman, the first man he faced. After getting Willie Mays to fly out he was touched for a hit by Frank Robinson and was taken out of the game in favor of Hoyt Wilhelm.

He stayed with Boston until they dealt him to the Twins in 1963 after which he retired to become a car salesman in Florida. SABR has a detailed look at his career. He passed away at 66 in 1998.

That is, of course, the iconic Yankee Stadium serving as background in the pic. I appreciate those cards on which the frieze (a.k.a. 'facade') is shown.

#567 Del Crandall The Sporting News All Star

This Del Crandall card is the next to last All Star card to be posted here. Crandall, who was featured on his own '59 card (posted here), was a eight time NL All Star, a four time Gold Glove winner and 1949 Rookie of the Year runner-up.

Known for his defensive and pitcher handling abilities Crandall was a decent hitter who had a couple of .290+ seasons. He was probably ranked second only to Roy Campanella at his position during the decade of the fifties.

Crandall played in 8 All Star games and while he hit only .200 in those games (4 for 20) he did homer for the NL off the Red Sox' Bill Monbouquette at Kansas City's Municipal Stadium in the first of two All Star games in 1960.

The red railing tips us off that Crandall is posing in San Francisco's Seals Stadium in the photo on this card.

#446 Rocky Nelson

Glenn 'Rocky' Nelson had such a varied and interesting career I hardly know where to start, so let's try the beginning. Nelson signed with the St. Louis Cardinals as a 17 year-old first baseman in 1942. After a year in the minors Uncle Sam called and he spent three years in the Army during WWII. My usual sources don't provide many details but it's a good bet he was overseas during that time.

Upon re-entering baseball Nelson had three seasons in the well stocked Cardinals chain hitting over .300 in each of them. He made his big league debut with the Cards in 1949 but, in what became the story of his career, he just didn't approach his minor league numbers. He split the next season between the majors and minors (hitting over .400 at AAA in almost 50 games!) and in 1951 was traded to the Pirates for his first stint with the Buccos.

He finished the 1951 season with the White Sox after being waived and then was traded to the Dodgers after the season. That deal meant that Nelson had been the property of four different franchises within 9 months! The Dodgers won the NL pennant in 1952 and Nelson, having been recalled from the minors in August, got into the '52 Series with a handful of pinch hit opportunities.

He spent '53 and most of '54 with the Montreal Royals, the Dodgers' AA club and had a monstrous run. Particularly impressive was Nelson's 1953 season when he hit .308 with 36 homers and 131 RBIs and won the International League MVP award. The Dodgers, with Gil Hodges holding down first base, had no room at the top for the minor league slugger. They had traded him to the Indians after that remarkable '53 year but bought him back in May and watched him tear up the IL again.

Back with the Royals in 1955 Nelson won his second of three IL MVPs with impressive ease and was threatening to repeat in '56 when the Dodgers recalled him in June. He struggled for two months in Brooklyn and was traded to the Cardinals for his second run in St. Louis.

He played for Toronto, the Cards' AA club for two years and again excelled. He won the 1958 IL MVP and for that he was rewarded by being drafted away by the Pirates. Finally, at 34 years old, Nelson managed to get himself a steady big league gig. He played as a platoon first baseman for Pittsburgh for three seasons, putting together productive years in '59 and 1960. He played a part in the '60 Series against the Yanks. I'll let his Baseball Reference Bullpen page recount that:

Nelson started Game 2 of the 1960 World Series and had 2 singles against the New York Yankees' Bob Turley. But Stuart, who led the Pirates in home runs that year, started games 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6. With the series tied at 3 wins apiece and Stuart struggling with just 3 singles in 20 at-bats and no RBIs, manager Danny Murtaugh started Nelson at first base in Game 7, as the Yankees again started Turley. Nelson responded with a two-run home run in the 1st inning to stake the Pirates to an early lead. But he was also involved in a strange play that allowed the Yankees to tie the game 9-9 in the top of the 9th inning of that game. With the Pirates leading 9-8, Yogi Berra at bat, Gil McDougald on third base and Mickey Mantle on first, Berra hit a hard shot at Nelson. Nelson fielded the ball inches from first base and stepped on the bag for the second out as McDougald raced for the plate with the tying run. Mantle, with a short lead off first base, hesitated when the ball was hit, possibly unsure if Nelson caught it in the air. But although the ball had not been caught in the air, Mantle was not forced to advance to second base because Nelson had already eliminated the force when he stepped on the first base bag. Nelson turned to throw to second base, expecting Mantle to be advancing. But Mantle dove back toward first base. Nelson then dove at Mantle and missed. With both players sprawled on the ground and Mantle safely back at first base, McDougald scored the tying run to make the score 9-9. However, that changed quickly when Bill Mazeroski led off the bottom of the 9th inning with a home run against Ralph Terry to win the game, 10-9, and give the Pirates the championship. Stuart, who was on deck to pinch-hit for winning pitcher Harvey Haddix, did not appear in the game. At age 35, Nelson had his finest season in the majors and finished it by homering as the cleanup hitter in a championship game. Nelson hit .333 (3 for 9) in the World Series.

His bat finally failed him in 1961 and in '62 he kicked around the minors with three clubs before he retired. He finished his big league career with 31 homers but in the minors he hit 234 and in 1960 he was named to the International League Hall of Fame. Given that his huge seasons came with Montreal and Toronto it's little wonder he is also a member of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. Along the way he played on four pennant winning teams, the '52 and '56 Dodgers, the '54 Indians and of course the 1960 Pirates.

Lots of interesting Nelson internet resources. The Hardball Times has a detailed and entertaining Rocky Nelson career retrospective. The official MiLB site has a page with emphasis on his minor league exploits.

The card has one of those 'painted over' portraits that makes it difficult (ok, impossible) to determine where it was taken and what uni Nelson is actually wearing.